Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a scathing attack on his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday after the latter invoked Assam and other northeastern states during an attack on the Central government over statewide protests in West Bengal.
During the speech, Banerjee said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi engineered violence in West Bengal through BJP leaders. "If the BJP sets Bengal on fire, the states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Delhi too will suffer," she said.
An angry Sarma shot back, taking to his X account and writing, "Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? If you are angry with the Centre, don't show off that anger before the people of Assam. And don't try to provoke a confrontation with divisive rhetoric. A leader doesn't make such statements.
Another close ally, Pijush Hazarika, a minister in Sarma's cabinet, condemned the moves through social media. He condemned the statements of Banerjee: "She cannot intimidate or threaten us. I strongly condemn her remarks. If she struggles to manage law and order in her own state and then threatens Assam, let me assure you, such tactics will not be effective here".
Banerjee, while speaking at a function organised to celebrate the foundation day of the TMC student's wing, lashed out at the BJP over the violence that took place during the recent bandh and the 'Nabanna Abhijan' protest march towards the state secretariat.
The Trinamool government had come under heavy criticism recently following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the RG Kar Hospital, raising the heat on her administration.
Drawing a controversial analogy, Banerjee compared the agitation today with that of Bangladesh protests which brought the Sheikh Hasina government to power. "Some believe this agitation is akin to the protests in Bangladesh."
She admitted the beauty of Bangladesh's language and culture but added it was still a different country.
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